Beschreibung:

April and May of 1881. The German sketchbook of Theodore Clement Steele (American/Indiana, 1847-1926). Principally depicting fellow artists and the surrounding area of Munich, a hotbed of artistic activity during the late 19th century- the Munich School of Art being a major drawing force upon American artists at the time. Fellow regional artists such as Frank Duveneck William Merritt Chase and Henry Farny also attended he school for study. Munich was known for a looser, modernist approach to art, and was in contrast to more conservative Mid-Western values of the time. The sketchbook contains numerous portrait studies, presumably fellow artists. A few are identified although most are not. Other sketches consist of impressionistic landscapes depicting typical thatched roofs and town walls, and Steele was clearly developing his loose nature of painting at the time. Dates range from April to May. Early May seemed to be a period of great activity and possibly travel as many landscape entries are recorded during the week. A letter at the back of the sketchbook is addressed to Steele. Most of it is illegible. The sketchbook retains its original marbled cover boards, and the paper is in fine condition, overall measuring 6 x 4 in. An important sketchbook documenting the formative period of study of T.C. Steele. Provenance: The Clarence and Mildred Long Collection of Indiana Artists Condition: Cover boards slightly worn, binding mostly loose, toning to perimeter.